RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has received the largest corporate partnership gift in its history.

Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. (HDL, Inc.) has agreed to a $4 million partnership to support the VCU Department of Athletics and its future capital projects.

"The progress of a national research university is accelerated by strong partners with big ideas and a commitment to excellence in every way," said Michael Rao, president of VCU and the VCU Health System. "For Virginia Commonwealth University, one of those best partners is Health Diagnostic Laboratory, an innovative corporation that shares our focus of improving human health and the human experience.

"We are grateful for their support and enthusiasm for VCU and our nationally prominent athletics program, and we thank them for their forward-thinking investment in our Top 50 national research university."

The partnership will encompass the entire facility footprint for Athletics. Each athletics facility will fall under the umbrella of the "HDL, Inc. Athletic Village" and have premier street signage that will enable the HDL, Inc. brand to be displayed prominently. Among the facilities in the HDL, Inc. Athletic Village will be the Stuart C. Siegel Center, planned VCU Basketball Complex, Sports Backers Stadium, Thalhimer Tennis Center and Cary Street Gym.

"The HDL and VCU partnership goes beyond just the funding of a premier athletic facility, and by the promotion of our company within VCU it is our hope that we keep math and science jobs in Virginia – and hopefully here in Richmond at HDL," said Tonya Mallory, HDL, Inc. President, CEO and Co-founder. "HDL places an enormous value on saving lives and preventing disease through advanced testing, lifestyle change, and the type of active living that is enhanced by the athletic village."

The partnership will include a coordinated effort by VCU Athletics, VCU Recreational Sports and HDL, Inc. to create a program that will promote wellness initiatives within the facility and an inner-city youth wellness program featuring VCU student-athletes engaging with community members to promote health and wellness in neighborhoods around the athletic village.

"VCU Athletics is thrilled to enter into this partnership with Health Diagnostic Laboratory," said VCU Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin. "We share a common passion - improving the lives of people in Richmond - and that passion makes our partnership a natural fit. The HDL Athletic Village at VCU will brand our current facilities under one umbrella and give us continuity as we grow."

"We are extremely appreciative of HDL and the investment they've made into the future of this University" said VCU Head Men's Basketball Coach Shaka Smart. "Our program's number one aim is to put or student-athletes in the very best position possible to succeed. The generous support of HDL goes a long way towards helping us make this goal a reality."

The HDL, Inc. partnership is the second major partnership agreement that VCU Athletics has announced in the last week. Last week the department announced a $3 million donation from Mead Westvaco for the proposed Basketball Practice Complex.

About VCU and the VCU Medical Center

Virginia Commonwealth University is a major, urban public research university with national and international rankings in sponsored research. Located in downtown Richmond, VCU enrolls more than 31,000 students in 222 degree and certificate programs in the arts, sciences and humanities. Sixty-six of the programs are unique in Virginia, many of them crossing the disciplines of VCU's 13 schools and one college. MCV Hospitals and the health sciences schools of Virginia Commonwealth University compose the VCU Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers. For more, see www.vcu.edu.

About Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc.

Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. (HDL, Inc.), a CAP accredited leader in health management, offers a comprehensive test menu of risk factors and biomarkers for cardiovascular and related diseases. Our systematic approach identifies factors contributing to disease and provides a basis for effective treatment, allowing physicians to more effectively manage patients. As an added value, patients receive a personalized overview of their risk factors along with intensive counseling from expert Clinical Health Consultants at no additional cost, improving compliance and enhancing satisfaction. For more information about HDL, Inc., visit www.hdlabinc.com.